Entire nation should unite against extremism

Sharif Shahab Uddin

It would not be exaggerating to say that the killers of the Bangabandhu and the people who have broken his sculpture are equally criminals and the enemies of mankind as the Bangabandhu had dedicated his whole life for the welfare of mankind. By killing the Bangabandhu and vandalising his statue they have committed a dastardly crime against humanity. It has also been amply proved that the people who are against the concept of independent Bangladesh, which was achieved at the cost of millions of martyrs’ lives under the leadership of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, are the real enemies of the country.

It goes without saying that the Bangabandhu and Bangladesh are inseparable. Bangabandhu is regarded as synonymous with the national anthem and our national song which command our respect. The founder of the country is respected by the citizens irrespective of caste, creed and ethnicity. Everyone loves and respects his or her country and the Father of the Nation as well more than their lives. They put them above everything. They can sacrifice their lives for the nation and the Father of the Nation. But in Bangladesh, things are happening in a different manner and it was quite unfortunate and surprising to the people of the world when Bangabandhu was assassinated by some people on the wrong track, who are also known as citizens of Bangladesh.

The conscious and informed people know about these people who are used to talk against the Bangabandhu and the independence of Bangladesh. During the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971, these people and their forefathers had taken an active part with the Pakistan occupation army in carrying out genocide in Bangladesh. The people who have no love for the mother and the motherland can do anything and everything. The forces, who had been involved in killing millions of innocent people, raping hundreds of thousands of women, burning houses in villages and cities during the War of Liberation in Bangladesh, cannot be considered as human beings. These forces had finally suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the peace-loving people of Bangladesh. These cowards could not forget the shame of that defeat. They have been launching war against Bangladesh and its people in disguise since the defeat they had suffered on December 16, 1971.

The fundamentalist forces, who have been involved in killing the innocent people by throwing petrol bombs in the name of the nationwide blockade and it should be taken into consideration that these are the people who were engaged in spreading the rumour to create panic and confusion among the people so that the present government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cannot be functional.

The fanatic extremist forces, which were against independence, have recently been reorganizing themselves for launching violent activities. They have started using provocative words on sculptures and statues to create anarchy in the country. That defeated forces are out to plunge Bangladesh into another war to take revenge of the humiliating defeat they suffered on December 16, 1971, at the hands of the people who were struggling for peace, liberty and democracy. They are again active in inflicting another blow to the nation’s peace, progress and development. They did not stop their heinous activities even after killing the country’s Father of the Nation.

In the recent past, they have resorted to spreading rumour against the country’s ongoing development undertaken by the present government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They were trying to create nationwide panic among the innocent mothers that the Padma Bridge needed thousands of heads of children. They are continuously resorting to doing that to destabilize the country. The country and the nation are not safe at their hands. If these evil forces are not kept at bay, there would be problems for the people and the country itself.

The common people of Bangladesh want peace, democracy, and the human rights to be restored in all spheres of life with a view to establishing communal harmony in the society by creating friendship, amity and cooperation among the people irrespective of caste, creed and ethnicity. But the fundamentalists and the fanatic forces, which are engaged in terror activities throughout the country, have recently been showing their fangs by voicing against the symbol of the country’s history and culture. They have dared to talk against the statue of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. What they (fanatic extremist forces) have said is tantamount to declaring war against the government. Talk against the sculpture of the Bangabandhu is being considered the talk against the country and its independence. If anyone can talk against the Father of the Nation, certainly he does not believe in the independence of Bangladesh.

Independence is the supreme achievement of a nation. And if some people don’t care about it, they must not belong to Bangladesh and they should be treated as the enemies of the country.

People live in society and as social beings, they have social obligations too. The people have to ensure social justice aimed at promoting a society which is just and equitable. Making society just and equitable in Bangladesh is still a difficult task even after 50 years of its independence. The peace-loving people of Bangladesh are fighting a grim battle in establishing a society which should be just and equitable. But in Bangladesh, it didn’t happen and life is not safe, secure and stable because of the forces gone astray. This section of people, who are pursuing the politics of fundamentalism and the extreme version of Islam, is active against the ideals upon which independent Bangladesh was founded.

The civilized world is enriched with the concept that all men are created equal and the society they have created is just and equitable, life and rights of the people are precious to them, on the contrary, the extremist forces are with subnormal outlook and they have not developed human quality in them. Without having an iota of knowledge about the real situation they can be wild and ruthless if their priests and mentors command them to sacrifice their lives. These people, who are pursuing the extremist version of Islam, have been in the wrong trajectory. They don’t care about the ideals of global peace, liberty and democracy. These forces are probably misled by the so-called Islamic scholars who are of the opinion that democracy is the European cultural artifacts. So, there has been a basic problem with the doctrine those fundamentalists believe in. This erroneous idea about democracy can mislead the people who are being guided by emotion against the European culture, which has a great contribution in making the world civilized.

The syllabus they followed in the Islamic schools (Madrasas) in the past are not consistent with modern education of the world and thus millions of people received education over the past decades are not mentally developed. The idea they have about society are backdated and heavily influenced by medievalism.

With that education, they are becoming a huge burden on the nation. These extremist forces have recently shown their fangs of fundamentalism.

Bangladesh has been repeatedly facing the same problems as the authorities concerned and the people in the civil society have not paid attention to the crooked acts of these evil forces which are constantly hindering the progress and prosperity of the nation. These Anti-liberation forces have displayed recalcitrance enough. And enough is enough. Rigorous punishment must be meted out to them before it is too late.

An example in curbing terrorism can be cited. The 29 people including 20 foreigners were killed in a terror attack in Holey Artisan Café in Dhaka on July 1 in 2016, which had created a global panic about the safety and security of the people in Bangladesh. But the quick and smart action by the forces entrusted to, have nipped the terrors in the bud and all the following terror attempts failed.

The progressive political forces including Bangladesh Awami League, which had led the country’s Liberation War, have miserably failed to make the common man understand what the independence is and how it should be protected, though Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, had repeatedly warned that protecting independence is much more difficult than achieving it. But the freedom fighters and the political leaders, who were being entrusted to protect the independence of the country, neither had properly understood nor could they feel the consequences of the upcoming blow the anti-liberation forces were inflicting in disguise.

It is not the task of law enforcement agencies alone. The whole nation should unite to fight the anti-liberation forces to finish and eradicate the extremist forces which have appeared to be a danger to mankind and civilization.